Systems and methods for an indirect radiation driven gasifier reactor & receiver configuration

A solar-driven chemical reactor, comprising:

• a solar thermal receiver having a cavity with an inner wall, where the solar thermal receiver is aligned to absorb concentrated solar energy from one or more of 1) an array of heliostats, 2) solar concentrating dishes, and 3) any combination of the two;
• a solar-driven chemical reactor that has multiple reactor tubes in a downdraft geometry located inside the cavity of solar thermal receiver, where in the multiple reactor tubes a chemical reaction driven by radiant heat occurs, wherein the chemical reaction includes one or more of biomass gasification, steam methane reforming, methane cracking, steam methane cracking to produce ethylene, metals refining, and CO2 or H2O splitting to be conducted in this chemical reactor using solar thermal energy from the absorbed concentrated solar energy;
• an aperture open to an atmosphere of the Earth or covered by a window, to pass the concentrated solar energy into the cavity of the solar thermal receiver to impinge on the multiple reactor tubes and inner wall of the cavity;
• and
• an indirect radiation driven geometry in the form of the cavity wall of the solar thermal receiver integrates the solar-driven chemical reactor, where the inner wall of the cavity of the receiver and the reactor tubes exchange energy primarily by radiation, not by convection or conduction, allowing for the reactor tubes to achieve a fairly uniform temperature profile even though the concentrated solar energy is merely directly impinging on the reactor tubes from one direction, and wherein the radiation heat transfer from the inner wall and the reactor tubes drives the chemical reaction, where a design and orientation of the aperture, and cavity working fluid (buoyancy) are set to control convective losses, wherein the inner cavity wall at least partially encloses the multiple reactor tubes to act like an oven, spreading heat flux around through radiation and giving a much more even flux profile on the reactor tubes, both azimuthally and axially, than the incident solar radiation by itself has, wherein an averaging effect on the heat flux radiated from the absorbing cavity walls and multiple tubes occurs within the cavity.

A solar receiver constructed with a multi-layered insulative outer shell, comprising:

• a thin, high temperature (>1400° C.) capable, thermal shock resistant insulating inner layer comprising a refractory ceramic fiber materials, where the inner surface of the inner layer is made of a high emissivity refractory material;
• a high temperature (>1300° C.) capable, high heat capacity, and low-to-moderate thermal conductivity insulating intermediate layer;
• and
• a low density, low thermal conductivity (<0.2 W/m−K at 400° C.) insulating layer.